A full day in Qatar with a rental car was the perfect scenario to look for the hypocolius, a mythical Persian Gulf wintering specialty. Namaqua doves, wheatears, desert warblers, sparrow-larks and more awaited.

Mauritius capital city turned out to bear good numbers of the endemic and endangered Mauritius flying fox. Curlew and Terek sandpipers or greater sand plovers occur in the city’s Terre Rouge bird sanctuary.